Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja on Wednesday, October 16, 2024 ordered the final forfeiture of the sum of N2, 739,836,331.31(Two Billion, Seven Hundred and Thirty-nine Million, Eight Hundred and Thirty-six Thousand, Three Hundred and Thirty-one Naira, Thirty-one Kobo), being proceeds of illegal mining of solid minerals in Endo Community, Nasarawa State.
The judge gave the order following an application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, through its counsel, Ekele Iheanacho, SAN, dated September 27, 2024, asking for the final forfeiture of the sum to the federal government, pursuant to Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act No. 14 of 2006, having reasonably suspected it to be proceeds of unlawful activities.
The court had on July 8, 2024 granted an interim forfeiture order on the sum to the federal government which was published in The Punch Newspaper of August 8, 2024 as required by law to…